|
Keep your finger on the pulse. Read about the issues facing federal IT leaders and how technology is being used to help improve government efficiency and effectiveness. Subscribe Now.
|
|
Connected Government in Action
|
 |
Wireless: Making It Secure
The federal workforce is increasingly mobile—not only when traveling, but inside the building. “By enabling employees to access people and information anytime, from anywhere in the building, indoor wireless networks help increase responsiveness and speed up decision making,” says Jay Pitcher, consulting systems engineer for Cisco Federal Wireless and Mobility solutions. To support mobility, agencies need a wireless infrastructure that provides two types of protection: privacy, or protecting data as it travels through the air space; and network access control, or preventing unauthorized people or devices from accessing the wireless network. More 
|
|
How Unified Communications Supports a Mobile Workforce
The need to work away from one’s desk is no longer restricted to traditional mobile personnel, such as warfighters, IT engineers, and medical personnel. “Now, almost every employee is mobile to some extent, a result of telework initiatives, COOP [Continuity of Operations] planning, and expectations of younger workers reared on smartphones and text messaging,” says Don Weiner, consulting systems engineer for Unified Communications, Cisco. “While collaboration solutions such as Cisco TelePresence and rich-media conferencing are reducing travel requirements, employees are not tethered to their desks.”
Agencies with mobile workforces need to give them the tools to be productive, simplify their handling of multiple phone numbers and voicemail boxes, and remain reachable by their managers and coworkers. Employees also need a say in when and how they want to communicate. “When people sit at their desks, they are often working ‘heads down’ and don’t want to be disturbed,” says Weiner. “Many employees are receptive to calls when they are in between meetings—and probably away from their desk.” More
|
|
802.11n for Federal Agencies: Why and When?
The 802.11 standard for wireless networks is constantly evolving—from “b” to “a” and “g” and now to “n”—delivering higher speeds and more capabilities with each iteration. Specifying 300Mbps throughput, the draft 802.11n standard quintuples the bandwidth of 802.11a/g. And the Cisco version of the access points doubles that bandwidth again by packing two radios in each unit, delivering a roomy 600 Mbps.
What does the increased throughput mean to federal agencies? “Until now, federal agencies have used wireless networks primarily for e-mail and Web browsing,” says Stephen Orr, senior consulting system engineer, Cisco Federal group. “The higher throughput in 802.11n will enable agencies to deliver the same voice and video services over their wireless networks that they currently deliver over their wired networks. That means employees who roam throughout the building can take advantage of the same unified communications services they would have at their desks.” The prospect of more reliable voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) is particularly appealing to many federal agencies. More
|
|
|
Keep Up to Date with Cisco
|
Reduce your research time and get the information you need to make the right decisions for your organization. Cisco Federal has launched a year-long series of live and on-demand Webcasts designed to bring you the latest on security, IPv6, unified communications, wireless, and data center technologies. Take advantage of on-demand convenience to stay abreast of how these technologies are evolving and delivering benefits to users. Register Now
An Enterprise Approach to the Business of Security
Cisco invites you to attend the E-Gov Institute’s 8th Security Conference and Exhibition, November 7-8, 2007, at the Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, D.C. Share your knowledge and learn from others on avoiding data breaches, wireless security solutions, HSPD-12 experiences, security compliance, cross-border identity management, IPv6 security concerns, and more. Hear keynote addresses from:
- Richard Clarke, Chairman, Good Harbor Consulting
- Sherrill Nicely, Deputy Associate Director of National Intelligence for Intelligence Community IT Governance, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
- John N. Stewart, Vice President and Chief Security Officer, Cisco
In addition, Cisco will unveil the results of its 3rd annual Security Survey of federal IT leaders. Register Now
Getting Green
The inaugaural Green Computing Summit, scheduled for December 5 in Washington, D.C., and sponsored by Federal Computer Week, will communicate best practices for greener computing in the federal government. The private sector has taken great strides toward more energy-efficient operations and e-cycling programs. For them, getting green is good business. For the federal government it also provides the ability to demonstrate leadership.
Cisco will take part in a very interactive panel discussion with HP and VMware that will focus on Data Center Consolidation and Optimizing Your Computing Environment—the key ingredients to deriving both economic and ecological benefits from data center modernization. This exciting discussion will take place at 9:15 A.M. After the session, representatives from the three companies will be available to discuss next steps for more efficient and ecology friendly data centers for federal government. Learn More
Cisco Tech Days for Federal Government
Your organization's IT environment is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. New data, voice, and video applications are being deployed and immediately become business critical—both at headquarters and remote sites. Not only do these applications depend on the network to provide secure, non-stop performance, but they increasingly depend on advanced services embedded in the network itself.
Join Cisco routing and switching experts to learn about new product and feature developments, and how these exciting new developments can help you build and operate the network your organization needs. Register now for one of these sessions:
- Philadelphia, PA, November 7
- Durham, NC, November 8
- Dallas, TX, November 14
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL, November 15
Register Now
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
